


Absolute Zero

by wano



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Major Character Injury, Protectiveness, the author really likes writing about snow for some reason
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:14:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23865859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wano/pseuds/wano
Summary: In an unforgiving Foldan winter, Dimitri finds himself lost and overwhelmed by more enemies then predicted, and Felix rushes to protect him.He wont let Dimitri die until he can see the light in his eyes again.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Felix Hugo Fraldarius, Felix Hugo Fraldarius & Sylvain Jose Gautier
Comments: 11
Kudos: 35





	Absolute Zero

**Author's Note:**

  * For [murderofblackbirds](https://archiveofourown.org/users/murderofblackbirds/gifts).



> i made this for my best friend and the light of my life!! could i have written this without her? no. thanks for the dimilix brain worms you wonderful idiot.
> 
> i also wanted to note: this takes place before chapter 16 of blue lions (if i remember correctly its been a while since i played) so dimitris still in his feral mode. 
> 
> this is my first time writing a fic so any feedback is appreciated ❤️

The scuffle started like any other. In the dead of winter, a few members of there army had a run-in with some bandits. It would be the usual skirmish, they thought.

Felix engaged the closest bandit to him. The clash of metal on metal echoed throughout the snowy landscape. The two exchanged blows, struggling to find an opening. Felix narrowed his eyes- His opponent was strong but not skilled. With unmatched precision, he dodged a nick to his face and made quick work of his enemy with a slash of his sword.

A loud explosion ran across the battlefield a second after the now-dead bandit hit the ground. The swordfighter realized what it was happening before it hit him, but he was already too late. A loud explosion, a blinding, orange light, and Felix was blown away. He smashed against a tree and landed down in the snow. He shook with pain as his mind struggled to recover from the surprise attack.

He heard noises. A lot of them. He could feel the blood running down his forehead. He grit his teeth and struggled to move his hurt body. Sylvain or Mercedes must have called out for him, but in the chaos he couldn’t recognize their voice.

When he regained his senses, he saw the mage who had attacked him standing above him. But before he could react, a spear was thrust through the enemies head.

He knew who it was before he even looked. Dimitri. He killed with the most disgusting extravagance.

“How dare you..” Dimitri's voice was filled with fury.

The nearby bandits felt his bloodthirsty aura and scrambled into the bushes. But Dimitri recklessly ran after them. 

_He's going to be the death of me._ Felix slowly stood up, shaking. It hurt, but he didn't care. The boar had created another mess for him to clean up.

“Felix! Felix!” A cry came from the snowy forest.

He saw that Mercedes had ran over to him. He glared at her. She was gonna try to heal him, but that was a long process. He had to find Dimitri now.

“You need treatment…” 

“No I don't.” An arrow whizzed past his head. Fuck, there were still more of them. “Protect yourself. I’ll go after the boar.”

“Felix- Wait-“ Mercedes reached a hand to try and stop him.

“Listen to her, Felix!” Sylvain yelled. So his best friend had made his way here to be a nuisance as well. He hoped that the two of them would be safe.

“I can handle myself, idiot!” He told them both, and ran away into the pine trees.

For a moment he thought they would follow him, but then he heard the sounds of the fight continuing. They’d got quite a few more to take care of.

The snowy trees blurred past him. His boots sank in the snow, and he could only hear the sound of his breathing. He winced- he saw blood staining his ankles, and he knew he had more than one injury- but what mattered now was keeping that animal safe.

After he had ran for a while, he heard a shout. He broke out into a snowy clearing and with shock, he realized the boar was in trouble.

Dimitri was collapsed on the ground. Felix saw a bloodstain on the snow- some of it wasn't Dimitri’s. But what REALLY stood out to him was the fact that a bandit had a sword pointed at the prince.

Dimitri seemed to see the swordmaster before he had registered the scene in front of him. “Stay back, Felix.” 

But Felix was already livid. Like hell they were going to kill him, like he was going to watch him die as a broken shell of his former self. 

Enraged, his crest activated and he delivered a swift blow before the bandit could even react. He fell dead upon the ground, the swordsman standing over him.

“Felix." Dimitri gasped for air. “There are more of them-“ He tried to crawl towards him.  
Felix noticed what was hindering him- There was a large, brutal gash on his leg. 

“Your my responsibility this time. Always causing me trouble.” He clenched his fists.

“You're hurt too…” Dimitri protested.

“I don't need any of your fucking concern.”

They looked at each other for a moment.

“You done?” Asked an unfamiliar voice. Oh great, another bandit. He turned around and pointed his sword at the threat, ready to defend the prince.  
But he didn't see just one bandit - there were many. A whole group had surrounded both of them.

“Why don't you give us our prince? Or should we say, prisoner.”

“Why don't I kill every single one of you?” countered Felix.

“You're outnumbered. Surrender now.”

Dimitri sounded desperate. “Felix. Don't do this.”

“Don't tell me what to do, boar.” He was going to fight. If he lost and died here, he knew that Sylvain would folllow him to hell and yell at him until he lost his voice... But if he left, and let this bastard die because he was a coward? Oh no. He would never be someone to desert a person he loved.

He was going to protect Dimitri.

“This doesn't have to be harder then it needs to be. One of the bandits began.  
They were trying to reason with him now? They thought he was that weak?

“Just hand over the prince and we’ll spare you.” Like hell he would. 

He growled. He could feel blood running down his face and thighs, the pain muffled by the adrenaline.

“Felix.” 

“The hell you want, prince?”

“Go. Go now.” 

Felix turned around in shock and anger. “You want me to just leave you here? To these bastards.”

“You can't fight them, Felix. Im not going to let anyone else die- not another one for me to avenge.“

“Oh, your still on about that crap?! Take me off that list because im not gonna go and die for you-“

“We don't have all day. HAND us the prince.” The bandits interrupted the two.

Felix drew his sword. He didn't care that Dimitri was a depraved beast. He still remembered that little kid, playing with Ingrid and Sylvain in the golden fields. That bright-eyed child who defied fate and survived despite the death of Felix’s brother. The gentle, polite man who hid a monster deep inside of him, ready to strike and kill and choke and maim at a moment's notice.

_And if I die,_ thought Felix, _who’s gonna tame that beast deep inside him?_

In the ferocious blizzard, a violent fight began. The clashing of swords echoed against the sound of the icy wind. Felix's movements were wild, unrestrained, and desperate. He cleaved through a bandit who had tried to stab him seconds earlier. He turned to deal with one behind him. A slash struck his side. He felt another cut on his shoulder. His blood littered the snow. He couldn't feel it. 

All of his sensations had become one with the howling wind. He drove another bandit through his sword. To make them out this frozen wasteland was impossible. He could only feel the sensations of his sword cutting more lives away, and the sharp pain of his stab wounds.

He felt he was like Dimitri in that moment - a wild beast who had been cornered, fighting for his life. He became instinct and the will to survive. And the beast himself, screaming his name desperately, finally seemed a little bit human.

When it was all over, the world felt still. The snow was covered in blood, stained red like a plague spreading over the land. How much was his and how much were the enemies? He didn’t know. 

His sword was crimson and lacerations covered his skin. He fell to his knees and realized he was seeing red, the lengths of his destruction being eminent as he came to his senses once again. Who was the real beast here?

And when Dimitri's terrified eyes met his, Felix thought he almost looked innocent. He looked like he did back when he was a little boy who hadn’t seen all that grief and death. Not yet a monster, still holding on to that purity he lost long ago.

“Felix.” Dimitri's voice was scared and a little bit tender and he hated that, because it sounded nothing like the Dimitri who had lived around him since that tragedy. He didn't want anyone to see him like this. Especially not Dimitri.

“Felix, No. You’re…Your hurt, your injured, Felix, can you hear me? Felix..”

Felix looked at him weakly. “You know.” His voice was hoarse. “I hate being like you.” He knew that both of them were fucked up in the same exact ways.  
“Its okay, Felix. It's okay.” He felt like he could laugh, even. How absurd this was. The boar comforting him.

“Your hands-“ Dimitri sounded solemn. Oh. He hadn't realized they were shaking, he was only half lucid. 

Dimitri put his hands on Felix’s shaking ones and held them. Felix looked up at the glaring, white sky. And he realized he wanted this, just for a little.

“Look at us, two fucked up savages about to die. With only each others company. Fate is a cruel joke.”

“Your wrong. I’m going to get you out of here safe, Felix.”

“I can't even feel my limbs.” _but I can feel the warmth of my hands in yours._

“Felix, this is all my fault.” Dimitri's voice was breaking. “I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I ran off because I wanted revenge-i was angry, I could hear the voices-“

“Shut up,” said Felix. He leaned his head down and buried his face in Dimitris cloak. “You never learn.”

“Felix..” Dimitri breathed. “Felix..” He wrapped his arms around his shoulders. “Why didn't you turn me in? Why didn't you…” 

“I didn't want you to die.”

And it was as simple as that, but a lot more profound too.  
Holding each other, in a field of blood and carnage. If there was any way for him to go- It would be here, and that would be okay. 

But strong, familiar arms had pushed him away. “I'm going to take care of you.” Said Dimitri, and Felix thought, why avoid the inevitable? He knew he wouldn't be conscious much longer. 

Dimitri took a hold of his arm and he heard a tear in his cloak as he ripped off a part of it and tried to wrap it around his shoulders with freezing fingers. 

“You can't save me.” Growled Felix. “I don't even deserve to be saved, especially not by you.” 

Your wrong.” Dimitris's voice was shaking.

Dimitri continued to help him. He lay him down on the snow, shredded more of his cloak and tied it around Felix's wounds in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding. 

“Tell Sylvain I’m sorry.” Felix weakly rasped.  
“Nobody else is going to die for me!” Dimitri cried.

 _Became depraved and lose yourself, kill everybody you can, and say that it's all for me._ Thought Felix. _I'll just be another number that you can count on your finger as a worthy loss, a sacrifice of war that you can use to justify wallowing in your pain and self-pity._

“Dimitri.” Things were beginning to gray out. He couldn't feel anymore.

“Thank you for making me feel human.”

He saw the winter sky fade to black.

—- 

When someone has the feeling that their life is going to end, they might wake up and think they're already dead. And that's what Felix thought. when he woke up to the familiar fluorescent lights of the infirmary.

The first thing he saw was Sylvain and Mercedes looking down at him.

“Oh my! You're finally awake. We were all so worried.” Mercedes' voice was comforting.

“Felix…” Sylvain's voice was hurt. He had been ready to betray their promise and die right there, which was pretty low of him, wasn't it?

“Sorry, Sylvain..Where's Dimitri…?” He asked. He hated how vulnerable he sounded.

“Sorry, huh? Well, that's just not gonna cut it. You almost DIED on me, Felix. Hear that? Died? Dimitri called us over and he was holding you and screaming. You're such an idiot. Your SUCH an idiot.”

“It's true that your lucky to be alive, Felix.”

Oh great, he had to hear it from the nurse too now. Wow Felix, you suck. Wow Felix, you almost died for a deranged idiot. 

“I know.” That's all he could say.

“You know? Well I know I'm gonna kick your ass when you're out of here and so is Dimitri. But first I'm gonna kick his ass for letting you get Mercedes- what was it again-“

“Hmm, Multiple internal injuries and lacerations all over your body, oh dear, and you almost lost all your blood!” 

“Great, great, I don't need to hear the medical shpeal.” He was just glad Dimitri was okay. Alive. Somehow, they’d survived against all odds, but what did that mean for the two of them? What happened when this was over? Well, he knew Sylvain and Mercedes wouldn't let him hear the end of it. That was a constant that had never up and left him.

Sylvain paused for a moment. “Felix…I'm glad you're alive.” 

“So am I, Felix! We were all so worried…” added Mercedes.

His friend's words made him feel warm, a contrast to the snow and the ice and the howling wind he thought he would die in.

“W-Whatever,” he said. But inside he felt it would be better to die with the people he loved then in a snowfield, cold and alone in the arms of someone who was already broken.

And when the others had learned he had woken up, they came with joy and love. Byleth, his teacher, brought him gifts, Annette cried and hugged him, Ashe made him the best food he’d eaten in a long while, Ingrid held his hand with Sylvain and he thought- maybe it was okay to feel human. Even Dedue came and showed him his sympathies. Not like he’d needed them.

But the one thing on his mind was still Dimitri, and when his eyes closed he still felt like he was back there. He remembered the way the will to survive drowned every other emotion out, how Dimitri had cried out his name and reached for him, the way the blood splattered over the snow and pine trees. How the pain was enough to make him keel over and choke, yet Dimitri promised he would take care of him.

He didn't sleep that night.

—-

A few weeks had passed, and Felix was finally out of the infirmary. His friends were all worried about him, but eventually he managed to convince them to let him go out on his own. He wanted some time to himself, and he wanted to see Dimitri again. But Sylvain said he hadn't seen him around much since the incident. So he set out to the hilltop, away from the camp to wait a while.

The fresh snow had not melted. He wiped the snow off of a stump and sat down. The dawn sky was rising, a rush of orange, fuchsia, and golden brilliance. It was comforting to be here, after weeks of being bothered by his loving former classmates…his family. Maybe he hadn't minded that much.

“I was waiting for you!” He called out into the forest of pines and frost. He had known the man since he was a child, and always knew when he was around. Dimitri came out of hiding and came over without a word. 

“What, paying your respects to the dead?” Felix grinned sentimentally. 

The two looked at each other fondly for a moment, and then Dimitri gathered Felix into a warm embrace. That was the kind of thing that made him feel okay. Like he hadn't nearly bled to death a few weeks ago.

“I'm so glad you’re alive. I'm so glad you're alive.” And he was shaking.

“This isn't the boar prince I know. Where's the damn depravity?” Felix asked, but his voice was soft and gentle, and he put his arms around Dimitri and listened to his heartbeat- proof of life for the both of them.

“When I saw you, I realized breaking myself apart like this for revenge is wrong. I’ve thought about so much well you were out. I’ve….I don't know how I can forgive myself.”

“You have always been a fool, Dimitri. None of that matters!”

“I know. But Felix, when you thought you were dying, I was so afraid-“

“I just want you to shut up and keep holding me.”

And on that cold winter morning, two monsters held each other for dear life. They had murdered without question and their hands were stained with the blood of many. But when they were together under the rising sun, they could be seen in a different light. Two vulnerable, broken people who could find love in each other. They were both past the point of saving, but that didn't matter. They'd risk life and limb to protect what was most important, and that made them human.

At the summit, above the frozen marshes and the vast fields of Fódlan, between the snow and the sky, for a moment they’d never known what it was like to kill another living being. They were kids again, play fighting with sticks and catching bugs and laughing, full of life and vibrance.

In that single expanse of time, they were as pure and untainted as they were when they were born.


End file.
